thank

verb

ˈthaŋk 

thanked; thanking; thanks

transitive verb

1

: to express gratitude to

thanked her for the present

—used in the phrase thank you usually without a subject to politely express gratitude

Thank you for your consideration.

or sometimes to emphasize a preceding statement especially by implying that it is not subject to question

likes her job just fine, thank you

—used in such phrases as thank God, thank goodness usually without a subject to express gratitude or more often only the speaker's or writer's pleasure or satisfaction in something

2

: to hold responsible

had only himself to thank for his loss

thanker noun

Examples of thank in a Sentence

I want to thank everyone who helped today.

There's no need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, Swift retraced her trajectory during her speech, thanking her family for making sacrifices to lay the groundwork for her career. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 June 2026

In her acceptance speech, Swift said choosing to be a songwriter was easy, then fought back tears while thanking her family. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026

The caller wanted to thank me for raising an honest son. —Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026

So thank you, Taylor, for the gift of your stories and for insisting on being an authentic voice in a world where the line between real and fake is increasingly blurred. —Bryan West, USA Today, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English thancian; akin to Old English thanc gratitude — more at thanks

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thank

• have (someone or something) to thank for (something)
• thank God/goodness/heaven(s)/the Lord
• thank one's lucky stars
• thank-you
• thank-you-ma'am

Rhymes for thank

• banc
• bank
• blank
• clank
• crank
• dank
• drank
• flank
• franc
• hank
• lank
• plank

Kids Definition

thank

verb

ˈthaŋk 

1

: to express gratitude to

thanked her for the present

2

: to hold responsible

had only myself to thank for my loss